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How The Voice Paid Tribute "In Memory" of One Direction's Liam Payne in Season 26
Team Bublé member Shye landed a spot in the Lives with a cover of One Direction's "Story of My Life."
Season 26 of The Voice paid tribute to late One Direction member Liam Payne during the third and final night of Playoffs Tuesday night as 17-year-old Team Bublé member Shye sang a cover of the band's 2013 single, "Story of My Life."
"It's a great song," Coach Michael Bublé said of the choice. "It's unexpected and it's worthy of her and her talents." NBC dedicated the powerful performance — which landed Shye a spot in the Live Shows — to Payne, who sadly passed away last month after falling from a third-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
RELATED: Niall Horan Remembers Liam Payne with a Touching Tribute: "Love You Brother, Nialler"
"Growing up, family and music was all we had," Shye explained. "We weren't super rich, there were a lot of struggles going. My family's Panamanian and Jamaican and in those cultures, expressing your emotions isn't super typical. So I feel like having music as that connecting source to my mother and siblings has helped teach us how to express your love and the emotions that you feel."
How did The Voice Season 26 pay tribute to One Direction's Liam Payne?
Following the segment featuring Shye's Playoff cover of "Story of My Life," The Voice paid tribute to Liam Payne with an "In Memory of..." title card. As viewers know, the show's connection to One Direction runs deep, thanks to ex-Coach Niall Horan, who won Seasons 23 and 24 of the musical competition series alongside contestants Gina Miles and Huntley.
RELATED: Niall Horan Remembers Liam Payne with a Touching Tribute: "Love You Brother, Nialler"
"I met Niall Horan [when he was] close to about your age and he was electric already," Bublé told Shye once the Coaches were asked to give feedback. "And so, I wanted to do something where I felt like I was paying tribute to that potential and greatness. Some people just got it, and we can't explain it. There's no way to articulate it — the lights turn on and they just glow. I'm just so proud of you. Way to go, Shye."
Who is Liam Payne?
Who is Liam Payne?
Liam Payne was a founding member of the popular boy band, One Direction, which also featured the talents of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson. When the group disbanded in 2016, Payne pursued a solo career, releasing two EPs: First Time (2018) and Midnight Hour (2020) — and a studio album, LP1 (2019). On October 16, 2024, the artist fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina. He was 31.
Who are the Top 8 Artists that will compete in The Voice Season 26 Live Shows?
Shye and fellow Bublé teammate Sofronio Vasquez will compete in the Lives alongside the rest of the Top 8: Jeremy Beloate and Christina Eagle of Team Snoop, Adam Bohanan and Danny Joseph of Team Reba, and Jan Dan and Sydney Sterlace of Team Gwen.
Catch new episodes of The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC. Miss an episode? No worries — stream it the very next day on Peacock!
